STUMBLING BLOCKS: Maple Leafs winger Mike Brown trips over Islanders goalie Al Montoya this week — one of many missteps for two struggling franchises that have been non-contenders in the NHL’s hard-cap era.AP

The Vow that imposing a hard salary cap on the NHL would keep ticket prices in line has proved as accurate as the promise that the cap would become the magic elixir allowing every team to compete for the Stanley Cup every year.

For despite the perception that adoption of the hard cap has created a league-wide utopia of parity, the reality is there have been as many, if not more, chronic ne’er-do-wells in seven years under this system as existed in the NHL’s uncapped world.

Ten of the league’s 30 teams have not so much as won a playoff round in six years of cap tournaments, an increase of three teams when compared to the six seasons immediately leading into the lockout.

What’s more, over the last four playoffs, seven teams have accounted for 78 percent of the playoff series victories as opposed to the final four tournaments preceding the cancelled season during which 11 teams accounted for 76 percent of series victories.

The cap lowered the bar, there is no doubt about that, though organizations such as the Bruins, Red Wings, Canucks, Penguins and Flyers — all of which have gone about it slightly differently — have managed to attain a consistent level of excellence even allowing for the obstacles presented by the collective bargaining agreement.

The cap, however, has not magically transformed losing operations into successful ones any more than it has turned desirable seat locations into more affordable ones.

The combination of gaining top picks annually in the draft, restrictions on Entry Level contracts and the absence of arbitration rights in second contracts have not measurably altered life for the clubs who have taken up residence in Shantytown.

The Panthers and Maple Leafs, neither of whom have made the playoffs since the lockout, are in danger of missing again. The Oilers, Islanders, Blue Jackets and Jets/Thrashers all are in position to miss for the sixth time in seven cap tournaments. Of the repeat offenders, only the Blues — out in five of the past six years — appear to have made significant strides this season.

The Islanders have not won a round since 1993, the Coyotes have not won a round since locating in the desert beginning in 1996-97. The Oilers’ trip to the 2006 Final represents the only year since 1998 when they won a round. The Panthers have not won a round since going to the Final in 1996, the only year they advanced in the playoffs since joining the league in 1993-94.

The Kings have not won a round since 2001, the Blues since 2002. The Flames’ run to the Final in 2004 represents the only year they won a round since 1989. The Blue Jackets have not won a round since joining the league in 2000-01, and the Wild’s trip to the Western finals in 2003 represents the only year they advanced since joining the league that same year.

The perception of parity is created by awarding the loser’s point to teams that get through 60 minutes tied before defeat in overtime or the shootout. The three-point game has created the impression of tight races, though because clubs tend to move in packs, a difference of six points in the standings at this stage of the season is far bigger than it appears in the rear-view mirror.

Nearly 40 percent of the season remains, and it’s relatively safe to suggest eight teams representing nearly one third of the league (Columbus, Edmonton, Buffalo, Anaheim, Islanders, Tampa Bay, Carolina and Montreal) essentially are done for the year, no matter their claims, no matter the illusion created by the three-point game.

The hard cap never was a real fix. Which is to say attempting to make it even harder the next time won’t provide any more of a relief to the ne’er-do-wells of the league than adopting it in the first place.

* Tim Thomas, who has the right to do whatever he pleases, was invited to the White House as a member of the team that won the Stanley Cup and only because he was a member of the team that won the Stanley Cup, so it only confuses the issue when he attempts to lecture about his snub being of a “personal” nature.

One wonders how those hailing Thomas for his politically opportunistic move would have responded if a Rangers player had refused to join the team on the ice in Philadelphia when vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin dropped the ceremonial first puck prior to the 2008-09 season opener before posting a manifesto contesting the then-Alaska governor’s views.

The Bruins organization, meanwhile, handled Thomas’ absence perfectly. It would have been a practical impossibility to “force” the recalcitrant goaltender to attend the ceremony and no doubt would have provoked a confrontation with the NHLPA had the club suspended Thomas for failing to join the team function.

Thomas made his point. The Bruins made theirs by responding to a difficult situation with dignity befitting a champion.

* The choice whether to attend the All-Star Game should not be left to suspended players such as Alex Ovechkin. The NHL and NHLPA should be able to reach an agreement that suspended players are ineligible for the game.

Seriously, what if Todd Bertuzzi had been selected for an All-Star Game within the time frame of his attack on Steve Moore? The invitation would have remained open?

Oh, and regarding the Department of Free Speech, the PA and NHL will now get to the grievance concerning Sean Avery’s suspension for saying something uncouth in Calgary on Dec. 2, 2008.